Retail

The state government in South Australia has moved to stamp out all forms of esports wagering.  Consumer and Business Services Minister John Rau has informed the Independent Gambling Authority that it should not approve betting on competitive gaming events, irrespective of where the event occurs. This includes for instance The International, the Dota 2 tournament which is currently underway in Seattle, …

South Wales Police has arrested 10 people in relation to allegations that a Welsh Premier League fixture involving Port Talbot Town Football Club was fixed. Seven men and three women are currently in police custody, charged with conspiracy to defraud. Only two of those involved are from Port Talbot, with seven from Swansea and a 28-year-old man from Neath. The …

The board of William Hill Plc has moved to reject the £3.3 billion takeover bid proposed by the strategic consortium of Rank Group and 888 Holdings. Quick to reject Rank and 888’s offer which was formally issued this afternoon, William Hill governance stated that the proposed deal ‘substantially undervalued’ its corporate enterprise, choosing not to forward the bid to its …

The strategic Rank Group and 888 Holdings consortium has declared its intent to takeover William Hill proposing a formal offer of £3.6 billion for the FTSE-listed operator. Updating the market Rank and 888 governances have proposed an initial 364p per share offer for William Hill, as deal stakeholders look to create another UK betting industry giant. The Financial Times, reports …

Arena Racing strategic broadcast venture The Racing Partnership (TRP) has announced that it has secured its first media rights deal with the Bookmakers Technology Consortium (BTC). The deal will TRP content broadcast throughout 450 BTC syndicated UK and Ireland betting shops including Jenningsbet, Stan James and Corbetts. TRP content will include broadcasts from UK independent racecourses in Fakenham, Ffos Las, …

Sporting Index has found that the cost to the British economy from workers watching the 31st Olympiad at work is a staggering £1.6bn.  The spread betting firm commissioned pollsters Opinium to survey the British public ahead of the Games, and found that Olympic-watching Brits will spend 24 minutes on average tuning into the sporting action from Brazil while at work. …

Updating the market, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has fined UK National Lottery operator £300,000 for publishing inaccurate ‘Lotto Millionaire Raffle’ results on its website property. Following an investigation into the results publishing, UKGC officials stated that Camelot had placed ‘public confidence at risk’. Issuing further details, The Commission’s investigations into this error found that Camelot had breached the terms of …

Stating its corporate intent to increase its profile within the UK betting market, Irish independent bookmaker Boylesports outlined to the Irish Business Post that it is prepared to bid £100 million (€118 million) for a significant chunk of Ladbrokes-Coral retail betting shop inventory. Meeting industry competition concerns, the UK Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) has forced Ladbrokes-Coral to sell circa …

In a move that has surprised industry analysts, Nasdaq-listed Scientific Games Corporation (SGC) has announced the appointment of Kevin Sheehan as its new Chief Executive, as incumbent Gavin Isaacs moves to the governance position of Vice Chairman of the Board. Announcing the appointments this weekend, SGC confirmed to the media that Sheehan and Isaacs had already assumed their new governance …

Sky Sports’ acquisition of the Chinese Super League’s (CSL) UK TV rights has seen immediate demand, from subscribers, for coverage via the Goalscorer Prices & Settlement (GPS) feed.  The CSL has made waves this year with a huge push toward attracting top European talent via its, seemingly, limitless pockets. The likes of Alex Teixeira, Jackson Martinez and Ramires have made …